*** First, a quick note: After practice today (Thursday) I asked defensive coordinator Vic Fangio about reports linking him to the same position at UCLA.

Fangio, who worked with Rick Neuheisel in Baltimore, said he has not talked to Neuheisel, has no interest in the job and plans to be at Stanford next season.

*** Now, about the Harbaugh contract …

Not only has he not signed it, “I haven’t even discussed it,” he told me today.

That comment would seem to contradict what athletic director Bob Bowlsby said three weeks ago — that “Jim has indicated he plans to accept it.”

When I relayed Bowlsby’s comment to Harbaugh, he said:“Maybe he misspoke.”

*** Bowlsby declined to provide any details about the proposed contract when he went public with its existence.

But sources close to the university’s powerbrokers have told me it’s worth approximately $3 million per year and includes substantial amounts of deferred compensation and housing assistance.

It would make Harbaugh the second-highest paid coach in the conference (behind USC’s Lane Kiffin) and is an astounding figure for Stanford, which has never been inclined top pay top dollar in the past.

But as one source said of the administration, “They like having a winning football team, and they like the money that comes with it.”

Welcome to the real world, Stanford.

*** Will the new deal keep Harbaugh on The Farm if Michigan or the NFL comes calling with $4 or 5 million per year while also tugging at his heart (Michigan) and/or competitive fire (the NFL)?

Who knows. But it’s clear that Stanford is doing what it can to try to keep him.

*** As for those OB ticket sales …

The big question — immediately before and after the Orange Bowl invitation — was whether Stanford fans would “travel” to a game in Miami on a Monday night.

We now have the answer: It could be worse.

* As of the middle of the week, Stanford had sold approximately 9,000 tickets to the game, which represents more than half its allotment (17,500).

That’s important because the school was on the hook financially for 8,750 tickets, with the Pac-10 covering the cost of whatever went unsold from the other half of the allotment.

* The ticket sales for the Orange Bowl are triple what Stanford sold for the Sun Bowl, by the way.

(I’ve seen a lot of figures tossed about for the Sun, none of them accurate: Stanford sold a little less than 3,000 tickets to the game.)

* Of the 9,000 Orange Bowl tickets sold, approximately 1,000 have gone to students even though the game conflicts with the first day of winter quarter classes.

Apparently, the university asked professors to go easy on students who miss class to attend the game.

(Leniency for students attending a football game … $3 million per year for the coach … a massive increase in the salary pool for assistant coaches … a favorable admissions climate … all the university honchos heading to Miami for the game … Who says Stanford isn’t a football school!?!)

* Virginia Tech has sold about 6,500 tickets, but the school’s ticket director told me that based on past experience — this is VaTech’s third OB in the past four years — another 10,000 fans will buy straight from the bowl or through an alternative ticket vendor like StubHub.

Stanford fans will no doubt do the same (but nowhere near 10,000 of them).

* Said David Vargas, the director of football marketing: “We’re thrilled with how sales have gone so far.”

* I’m not sure the Orange Bowl feels the same way. “We’d hope the schools would use all of their tickets,’’ said Larry Wahl, vice president for OB communications. “They have a long way to come, but it is a novelty.’’

Jon Wilner

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Nothing like putting professors on the spot and making them look bad if they don’t show leniency with students on the first day of winter classes.

There are exceptions however. For example, you couldn’t pay me to sign up for any class taught be that lying sack of cow pie war criminal Condoleeza Rice.

David Eccles

Ivy league schools who hire war criminals to teach courses don’t deserve one thin dime of funding from taxpayers.

You couldn’t pay me to attend Stanford with hiring practices like that.

Victor and Nikki Neuman

Stanford seats some 50,000 folks but there are usually many vacant seats but they are making money? He must not be counting butts in seats.

Coach Jim Harbaugh

Bob agreed on a further reduction in seating capacity to 39,000. So it could work out.

David Eccles is an idiot

Ms Eccles,
You clearly know nothing about Stanford, the finest PRIVATE research and educational institution on this planet. Its operations are funded by its enormous, PRIVATELY FUNDED endowment, and it neither receives nor needs any public monies. So rest assured in your own pile of “cow-pie” that none of your neighbors taxes are used to support this institution. And just be happy that your welfare checks keep coming in the mail.

TSF

Looks like Harbaugh is out the door.

Ranger John

Hey “Coach” don’t forget to check the new Internet “laws” that go into effect January 1…..you might want to change the name…